Christmas Traditions 2011

This year has been full of so many changes for me personally, and for our family in many small ways...loudly shouting or whispering softly.  Especially since I started preparing to teach about so many different winter holidays to my elementary school kids (I got a part-time job working at one of the local elementary schools in the mornings as a literacy aide (think, part-time teacher of specific programs) for kids ranging between 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade), I found myself learning more about the sources of so many of the traditions that I personally treasure as well.  It has gotten me to thinking about which ones I would like to add to our own list of things we like to do to help make the holiday a magically memorable event that is felt and experienced far more than just one or two days.  I'll have to post about it later (I'm all out of time for tonight), but I would like to extend a challenge of sorts to those few who may read this: please take a moment to sit down and look through your own traditions and the reasons for continuing them....are they carrying on simply because of enjoyment, or do they actually mean something to you?  Have you shared that with your own little flock of loved ones?